‘Serious breach of human rights’: Experts condemn Islamic schools tracking girls’ periods

Female students at some Islamic schools in Victoria are being forced to reveal when they have their periods, with several colleges accused of monitoring or “tracking” students’ menstrual cycles, according to new claims.

Students from Muslim schools have alleged “invasive” practices, saying girls are sent to so-called “period” or “rag” rooms instead of attending prayers, and that teachers reportedly log how many days they are on their periods.

One student at Ilim College’s senior girls’ campus in Melbourne’s north said she had been coerced into disclosing her cycle with teachers since primary school, according to The Herald Sun.

“It’s really invasive and uncomfortable,” the teenager, who asked to remain anonymous, told the outlet.

“While prayers are on, if you are on your menstrual cycle you are forced to go to the Girls’ Room while other students are praying in the mosque.

“You’re not allowed to eat or drink [in there] and you have to watch religious videos.

“You get your name written down and if you attend for more than nine days or multiple times in a month you’re accused of lying and they call your parents.”

She alleges the practice has been occurring for at least 10 years.

Aynur Simsirel, the chief executive of Ilim College, confirmed that girls were taken to a “supervised space” called the Girls’ Room when excused from prayers for menstruation.

“It is well established within Islamic practice that women who are menstruating are religiously excused from performing the five daily prayers,” Ms Simsirel told The Herald Sun on Thursday morning.

“Attendance is recorded in the same way as any other supervised school activity, consistent with standard duty-of-care requirements.”

“Serious breach of human rights”

However, prominent human rights advocate Nesreen Bottriell, CEO of The Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights, said that tracking menstrual cycles is not an Islamic practice.

“We are not aware of these practices occurring and we absolutely do not condone the tracking or monitoring of young women from any religious institution or school,” Ms Bottriell told news.com.au.

“Monitoring of young women’s menstrual cycles is not an Islamic practice and constitutes a serious breach of privacy and human rights that is not acceptable.”

Gross invasion of privacy”

Dr Sarah White, CEO of Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, agreed the practice was deeply concerning.

“It’s a gross invasion of privacy for a school to be tracking girls’ periods,” Dr White told news.com.au.

“No school should be monitoring menstruation for any reason.”

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/school-life/serious-breach-of-human-...

I am pretty sure when I was in school girls could get out of swimming if they had their period, but it was more of an opt-out thing. I am sure they would have let me get out of it if I told them I was sick.

Anyway, I am pretty sure that the "Muslim human rights activists" saying this is against Islamic practice are only referring to the tracking of the period. That is, you are not supposed to write it down. Probably OK if you remember. But the gross invasion of privacy is still written into Islam:

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/60213/can-women-enter-the-mosque-during-menses

Quote:

I hope the schools are taken to court and sued.

If they miss their period will they be accused of Zina (unlawful sex)?

Will they be flogged 100 times?

Quote:

Islam is not compatible with modern democracies .

Period ( pardon the pun gordon)

I used grok to pull up the Herald Sun article



Less than 24 hours after being publicly challenged by a victim, the state’s education and training regulator is making inquiries into menstrual cycle monitoring at a Melbourne Islamic school.
The state government is probing an Islamic school accused of tracking female pupils’ periods, less than 24 hours after one victim called on Premier Jacinta Allan to “show that you care about the students”.
The Herald Sun can reveal the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) – the state’s education and training regulator – has made inquiries with Ilim College after receiving one anonymous complaint about the religious practice at the school.
“The safety and wellbeing of children and young people is our priority,” a VRQA spokesman said.
“The Child Safe Standards require schools to ensure children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously. This is non-negotiable.”
It comes after the Herald Sun on Thursday revealed female students at Islamic schools were forced to disclose their periods to staff, with a number of colleges accused of “tracking” girls’ menstrual cycles.
This included Ilim College, with a current student at the senior girls’ campus in Melbourne’s northern suburbs sharing she’s been forced to log her menstrual cycle with school staff since primary school.
But some say the VRQA’s inquiries don’t go far enough, with both state and federal governments now being called upon to do a full investigation into the issue as a whole.
One Nation Victoria’s state executive president Warren Pickering told the Herald Sun: “this is Australia and these girls are Australian. We must do better”.
“Any proposed inquiry needs to be external, thorough and transparent. It needs to determine if the issue is localised to one single institution, or if it’s systemic within the wider Islamic education fraternity,” he said.
“If the same claims were made by a public school, I have no doubt a full investigation would entail. The public expectation should remain the same regardless of the religious connotations.”
Mr Pickering’s comments came just hours after Federal Education Minister Jason Clare was pressed on the issue at a press conference on Friday.
Mr Clare said he had not previously been made aware of the issues at Ilim College and deferred the matter to his state counterparts.
“I haven’t seen those allegations, I haven’t seen what (Victorian education minister) Ben (Carroll) has said, so I’ll follow that up,” he said.
“But I would have thought at first instance, the relevant state authority would be taking action in Victoria, and then when and if they do that, my department also has the powers to act in this area.”
Mr Pickering warned a lack of government inaction would leave Australian adolescent girls vulnerable to “blatant human rights abuse”.
“One Nation Victoria opposes this draconian practice and demands the government intervene,” he said.
It’s hoped the VRQA’s inquiries will lead to a similar, if not better, outcome to that overseas in 2019, where the UK’s Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) conducted an urgent inspection of Barking Islamic school, Lady Aisha Academy.
This followed complaints to the Department for Education that students were being interrogated about their menstrual cycles.
International media reported that an inspector discovered a register was kept of pupils who missed prayer, and those with frequent absences were questioned about their periods.
The local council visited the school as a result, and a policy was implemented to stop the questioning of pupils’ periods.
Ilim College’s chief executive Aynur Simsirel confirmed on Thursday girls were sent to a “supervised space” called the Girls’ Room when they were exempted from prayers due to menstruation.
“It is well established within Islamic practice that women who are menstruating are religiously excused from performing the five daily prayers,” Ms Simsirel said.
“Attendance is recorded in the same way as any other supervised school activity, consistent with standard duty-of-care requirements.”
Premier Jacinta Allan later expressed concern over the practice, advising students to report the issue through school processes and to the independent regulator who oversees the operation of non-government schools.
But these comments weren’t appreciated by one student subject to the practice, who told the Herald Sun if Ms Allan “believes that, then do it through your actions, don’t just speak words”.
“Actually show that you care about the students,” she said.

Mothra?

I guess she's on her rag today and not allowed to use the internet.